teasing
"Miss Jiang, how are these pastries?"
Qi Junxu turned his head and asked with a smile, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly, indicating that he was in a good mood.
Jiang Yi took a sip of tea and swallowed it, then nodded: "It's alright. I heard from Young Master Wu that this is a royal delicacy, but it's still a little inferior. It's not as good as the ones from our General's Mansion."
Qi Junxu rested his elbows on the armrests of the chair, propped his forehead up with interest as he looked at her, and smiled: "Oh, really? It seems I'll have to borrow one of your general's cooks from your mansion another day."
Jiang Yi's lips twitched, and she politely replied, "Your Highness is joking."
"No, I am serious."
“Alright, as long as the First Madam agrees, Your Highness may use any cooks in the General’s Mansion as you please. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
"So it's settled then?"
Jiang Yi nodded: "Mm."
"..."
Wu Wenping, standing to the side, was utterly astonished. Wasn't the Second Prince supposed to teach this woman a lesson and, incidentally, put He Lin down? It looked like they were about to become friends!
Listen to his relaxed and cheerful tone, and his warm and cheerful face. When has he ever been so patient with people, let alone smiled at them? In the past, if he smiled, someone would definitely be in big trouble!
What's going on?!
"May I ask what business Your Highness has with me today?"
"Miss Jiang is intelligent. Would you dare to come with me somewhere?"
Jiang Yi was stunned.
Qi Junxu noticed her concerns and explained, "Don't misunderstand, there's no danger. Young Master Wu will be going with us, and there are other people as well. It's not just the two of us."
At this point, Wu Wenpin smiled at Jiang Yi, a strange smile that seemed both smug and amused.
Jiang Yi slammed her hand on the table and immediately decided, "What's there to be afraid of? Let's go!"
Qi Junxu clapped his hands with a smile, seemingly appreciating her fearless and daring spirit.
"Someone, go and invite Young Master Lin."
A guard outside the door responded and jogged away, disappearing from sight in no time.
"Why did you call He Lin?"
Qi Junxu got up, picked up a piece of pastry, and as he walked past Jiang Yi, his voice rose in a light, cheerful tone: "Of course, I'm here to watch the show!"
Jiang Yi: "..."
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Yi's bottom was aching from the jolting in the carriage, but there was no sign of it stopping. She lifted the curtain and looked out. It was already dark outside, and the long street was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
[Hey 001, do you know where Qi Junxu is taking us? Give us a sneak peek!]
Sorry, no spoilers.
[Tch, so stingy!]
[It's just a place the host is familiar with.]
【oh. 】
[...]
"Miss, are you very familiar with the Second Prince?"
"No, this is the first time I've seen it."
"Then why..."
Jiang Yi understood Xia Zhi's concerns. It was the first time she had met Qi Junxu, a stranger and a powerful man. Instead of greeting him, she sat down and chatted casually, and followed him without asking any questions.
Xia Zhi was worried that if word got out, it would damage their reputations, but Jiang Yi never cared about such things.
She didn't offer much explanation, but just chuckled and said, "I'm always very outgoing; I can chat with even the dogs on the street."
Xia Zhi: "..."
Amidst their laughter and conversation, the carriage came to a stop.
Jiang Yi lifted the car curtain and was taken aback. Wasn't 001 supposed to be an old place? Where is this?
Qi Junxu dismounted, walked to the carriage, and stretched out a hand with his palm facing up, indicating that he wanted to help her down.
Oh my god, this guy is trying to get her killed in public! In modern times, this would be perfectly gentlemanly and polite, but this is ancient times with feudalistic ideas! If someone sees her like this, she'll never be able to clear her name!
Jiang Yi glanced at him and decisively refused, "Thank you, but no need."
After saying that, she didn't even step on the bench to get off the bus, but jumped down directly from it, and turned her head to look around.
Qi Junxu raised an eyebrow, not embarrassed at all, and withdrew his hand on his own, finding it quite amusing.
"Please, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Yi glanced around at the surroundings. This place lacked the bustling vibrancy of a long street; instead, it was dimly lit, resembling an alleyway.
Following Qi Junxu's steps, the group stopped in front of an inconspicuous wooden door, and the guard knocked on the door.
After a couple of seconds, the wooden door opened, and the person inside immediately stepped aside to make way, bowing their head low and not daring to look at anyone, their posture extremely respectful: "Please come in, esteemed guest."
The courtyard was secluded and quiet, and although there was no one around, one could faintly hear the sounds of laughter and play. It wasn't until she entered the building that Jiang Yi finally understood why Linglingyi had said this was an old place.
Unexpectedly, Qi Junxu brought her to Mirror Flower Water Moon!
Even after sitting down, Jiang Yi still felt somewhat dazed and unreal.
Wu Wenpin was clearly a regular at the Mirror Flower Water Moon, having dealt with countless beauties in front of Qi Junxu, chatting, flirting, and playing around. He was quite adept at using all sorts of flirting techniques, truly deserving of his reputation as a notorious playboy and spoiled brat in the capital. If his father saw this, he would probably be so angry he'd vomit blood.
Jiang Yi rolled her eyes at him, and Wu Wenpin happened to turn around and see it.
"So, Madam He, are you familiar with this place?"
Jiang Yi hummed twice and gave him a laugh that couldn't be more fake.
There were only a few of them in the private room, with two or three girls serving wine. Jiang Yi didn't even look at what was in front of her, picked it up and took a small sip. Luckily, she covered her mouth quickly, otherwise she would have spat it out and made a scene like a fairy scattering flowers.
It's so spicy! Based on past experience, spicy liquor is bound to be strong, and drinking too much will give you a headache.
Qi Junxu smiled and poured a cup of tea for her, saying, "Miss Jiang is not feeling well, so please skip this cup of wine."
Jiang Yi was startled. How did he know she had been injured?
"Oh dear, Master is here! Why didn't you give me a heads-up so I could have prepared!"
Aunt Liu, still as graceful as ever, swayed her hips and waved a bright red handkerchief as she entered the private room. Upon seeing Qi Junxu, she first gave him a deep bow, then obediently moved aside to await his instructions.
"What would you like to do today, Master? I'll go down and have the girls prepare."
Master? Jiang Yi keenly caught the word, and an idea arose in her mind.
"Are you the mastermind behind 'Mirror Flower, Water Moon'?"
The private room fell silent instantly. Even Wu Wenpin froze. Who would dare to ask him anything? Did they have a death wish? Only Qi Junxu chuckled softly.
"yes!"
Aunt Liu was a shrewd woman. Seeing Qi Junxu smiling and showing favor to the woman beside him, and knowing that she wasn't one of their "Mirror Flower Water Moon" characters, she asked, "Master, may I ask who this young lady is?"
Qi Junxu didn't answer, but gestured with his chin towards Jiang Yi and asked, "Do you know her?"
Jiang Yi lowered her head slightly, trying to hide herself in the shadows, and Xia Zhi followed suit.
I always came here dressed as a man, so Aunt Liu shouldn't recognize me, right? Please, please don't recognize me! Otherwise, I'll be in big trouble...
Wu Wenping also spoke up, reminding her, "Aunt Liu, look carefully, don't miss anything."
After carefully examining Jiang Yi for a while, Aunt Liu complimented her, "Forgive my poor eyesight, but this young lady has fair skin and a beautiful face. There's a sense of familiarity between her features, but I've never met her before and don't know her at all."
Qi Junxu smiled mysteriously and said, "Go downstairs and let those two girls wait outside."
Aunt Liu stood up to take her leave: "Yes."
The moment the door closed, Jiang Yi felt a surge of anger, but she took a deep breath and suppressed it all.
"Your Highness, please just say what you want. Are you just teasing me?"
Qi Junxu put down his wine cup, nodded and smiled, "This is fun! Don't rush, this is just the beginning, the real show hasn't even started yet."
Jiang Yi couldn't help herself and swept his wine cup to the ground, spilling wine all over the floor, almost splashing it on Wu Wenping.
"Go to hell, you can play by yourself, Xia Zhi, let's go."
From the moment he had Granny Liu identify her, Jiang Yi understood that Qi Junxu had known all along that she had come to Mirror Flower Water Moon disguised as a man, yet he pretended to be ignorant and let her watch the show? Bullshit, she was the one putting on a monkey show, clearly making a fool of herself for everyone to see!
"stop!"
Three maids knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed to the ground, barely daring to breathe, lest the fire at the city gates cause collateral damage.
Qi Junxu narrowed his eyes and looked up at the figure's back.
"How dare you insult me like that? Are you tired of living?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Wenping sat up straight and moved forward slightly, but his face still held a smug look of watching a show.
Jiang Yi put her hands on her hips, let out a long breath, and slowly turned around, saying each word clearly, "Qi Junxu, so what if I curse you? Will you kill me or skin me alive?"
Qi Junxu leaned back in his chair, looking languid and aloof. He waved for all the maids to leave. The maids didn't dare to delay and quickly tidied up the mess on the floor before hurriedly leaving.
"No, I would never do something as cruel as destroying a beautiful flower, but I am growing to admire Miss Jiang more and more."
You could tell from his tone that he wasn't angry at Jiang Yi for scolding him and calling him by his full name; on the contrary, he found her quite interesting.
Then came another bombshell: "...If you weren't Lady He Lin, I might reluctantly take you as my concubine, that would be quite interesting."
With a "clatter," Wu Wenpin dropped his wine glass and stared wide-eyed at the two of them.
Is he deaf? Qi Junxu said he wants to marry her as a concubine?! He's insane!!
Jiang Yi cursed under her breath, then laughed in anger: "This young lady is as beautiful as a flower, it's only natural that she would like me. It's just that the Second Prince is much more shameless than I imagined. What a pity, he has such a handsome face but it's all wasted. It seems that He Lin's fists need to be harder, don't you think, Young Master Wu?"
Wu Wenping was completely dumbfounded: "Huh?"
Qi Junxu stared intently at Jiang Yi with eyes as sharp as a venomous snake, as if he regarded her as his prey, which was quite oppressive. Finally, he smiled and said, "I knew Miss Jiang was interesting. You are right. Come in, Young Master Lin."
Jiang Yi was stunned. She turned around and saw that the door had been pushed open from the outside. There were three people standing in the doorway: Gu Ziyu and Shan Yanzhi on the left and right, and He Lin in the middle.
His lips were pressed into a straight line, his face was not good, his eyes were deep and his gaze was fixed on Jiang Yi. It was as if a layer of ice had been frozen around him, making him difficult to approach.
Judging from Gu Ziyu and Shan Yanzhi's expressions, they had both heard her conversation with Qi Junxu. As for how much they heard, and from which sentence onwards, that was unknown.
Jiang Yi felt inexplicably guilty, after all, she had come to see another man behind He Lin's back, and had been falsely accused by him.
"He Lin!"
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